Fast downhill, then front caliper came off...scary.

elderone

On a ride today was coming downhill section at 30+mph then see something flying at my face before swinging down into my garmin.After the initial fright I realised it was my front brake set up still attached to the brake cable which had swung it over my handle bars.Luckily didn,t need to brake to and let the bike roll on to slow down,then took it easy the last 10mile to the bike shop.
Turns out the through fork bolt had broke.
The moral of the story is pre bike check maybe would have showed something wrong.Maybe not,but ill be doing a proper one before each ride now. :roll:

goonz

On your Giant or the halford jobby?

city_boy

goonz wrote:

On your Giant or the halford jobby?

Just beat me to it, I was about to ask the same thing.

Interested to know how you're getting along with new bike, elderone?

goonz

Oh and glad you are ok....

Fil6914

Yeah I would like to know too as I have bought the virtuoso only 3 weeks ago and maybe it's something I need to look out for.
Glad you managed to end the ride safely

Phil

elderone

ha ha,it was the halfords jobby,but I don,t blame the bike at all.was just a fatiqued bolt.Also the brakes arn,t the standard ones so infact wasn,t any thing to do do with the halfords bike at all.(so don,t worry phil).

city_boy

And how are you getting on with the Giant?
I have a Defy Comp 1 and love it to bits.

canny_lad

Whoa, glad you got out of that ok :shock:

What's the state of play with the Defy? And where are the feckin photos of it??

elderone

I have only had the defy out a couple of times and its superb.Im with you city boy,love it.The difference between the bikes is very notice able and how light the defy is,is definately noticed on hills.Im very happy with it so far.
Canny lad I will do pics tomorrow and post up.

desweller

Ha ha a mate of mine did the same thing - loose caliper screw, caliper whacked him squarely on the forehead. He had an amusing bruise in the middle of his head for a few days.

southdownswolf

I forgot to close my front brake after fixing a puncture a few weeks ago. No front brake coming down a hill is scary, but at least my caliper was still attached to the bike....

rolf_f

southdownswolf wrote:

I forgot to close my front brake after fixing a puncture a few weeks ago. No front brake coming down a hill is scary, but at least my caliper was still attached to the bike....

There's an advantage you get with Campag there. Opening the brake on Campag brakes lets the levers further away from the bars but once you've taken up the slack, the braking action is just the same as with them closed.

Jon_1976

I've rode around with the brake quick release open (shimano style) and only noticed when I got home. Braking power isn't massively decreased. Agree with Rolf, the Campag system is more logical.

peat

You got away with that.

Friend had that happen but instead of coming to rest on the handlebars, it dropped back down into the front wheel, destroying said wheel to standstill and ejecting said friend over the handlebars and 'thankfully' onto the relatively soft bonnet of the car waiting to pull out of the junction he was passing.

elderone

blimey,looks like I had a lucky escape.